Carlos

Any thoughts on large Rifle primers in large pistol cases such as .45 ACP? Thanks, D.

Will Academy do mail order/quantity discount? Have a website for the company? Thanks, C.

Yo Flex, for the Glock Torture Test, you are only supposed to throw the Glock in the mud; not the Glock, magazine, and Pact Timer/Chronograph. What WERE you thinkin?!?! C.

Others will disagree, but its some of the best brass there is. Yes, the primer pockets seem "tight" to US reloaders; the Europeans seem to manufacture their brass by drilling the flash hole & milling the pocket instead of swaging it in place like we do in the USA. Both methods work but the Europen brass seems to keep a tighter pocket longer - a plus in my book as a loos e pocket is a sign of worn out brass to me. It is plenty strong & the different rim profile has never presented a problem in my 1911s or other .40s I own. As for loaded ammo, it is the factory test ammo for CZ; my 2 CZ Limited guns retail for well over $1000 and CZ could use any test ammo they want for these but they choose S&B and the accuracy shows on both test targets. Not sure about the power factor (probably higher than optimal) but the ammo is good quality. As far as NATO, the standard side arm round is the 9x19mm. I am not aware of any NATO standardization for .40 S&W.

That is a new one to me. De-humidify the basement maybe? D.

"and they both shoot amazingly soft, softer than the 37 for a reason I have not figured out yet." Got to be the Glock version of the STI Recoil Master (or double spring recoils system). Come to think of it, didn't Glock come out with the 2-spring system well BEFORE the intro of the STI system? Sounds like Glock got the rates just right.

I am for Ron's approach; thorough briefing & then mentoring. There is a 12 week introduction to USPSA & IDPA shooting class taught at Shooters Paradise (www.shootersparadise.com) in Northern Virginia. Among the many benefits is class bonding that often leads to new shooter retention/interest. The class meets once a week for all twelve weeks & covers a different topic every week, including: safe equipment, the trigger squeeze, sight picture, how to draw safely, the reload, a barricade exercise, shooting at a steel target, etc. No competitions can be shot while the student is learning. The instructor, Jeff Hogue, has been teaching this for over a decade and is probably responsible for bringing more shooters into the sport in the VA/MD section than any other single person. The twelve week approach may not work everywhere that USPSA is shot, but its a great opportunity for a new shooter living in this area. D.C. Johnson

I believe this is addressed in the "650 tips & tricks" section under something like powder bounce or powder spills. Many forum members have clipped a coil or so off the spring under the ball detent that stops the shell plate at each location. Russell; remove the toolhead, loosen the lock-bolt on the collum and then remove the large center bolt that holds in the shell plate. Clean it with break cleaner or bore solvent. Once clean, I use dry lube on the underside of my plate (moly, graphite, etc.). reassemble & try to ge the plate as tight to the ram as possible without adding undue effort to the handle. That should take out some bounce. Repeat every few thousand rounds. D.

"I have always thought this was dangerous, where does the bullet go?" You are not alone on this point. One impediment to the growth of action pistol sports (GSSF, USPSA, IDPA, Cowboy, Bianchi plates) has been the perception that shooting at steel is inherently dangerous and should never be allowed. For clubs that emphasize other handgun sports (such as bullseye pistol or shotgunning) the "steel is dangerous" argument is one argument that has been used to keep out the action sports along with the bias against the use of any type of holster or any "rapid fire". Experience with the action sports (as well as all types of silhouette) has proven that shooting at steel can be perfectly safe at every type of firing range with the following caveats: -falling steel becomes a "launching ramp" as it falls & a fast second shot on the steel can direct steel skyward & beyond the berm. Several clubs in Area 8 are switching to forward falling poppers to address the potential issue. -steel does not last forever. Worn out steel or steel that has been struck with rifle fire or was not properly made for USPSA major round use can throw the occasional fragment back toward the line (i.e. "low velocity roll-backs"). Such steel should be replaced, but sometimes is used well past its service life. It is critical that eye protection always be work at a match of any type but especially with steel. -steel pulverizes many types of bullets. In the case of lead, it can produce lead dust or powder. All shooting can produce lead dust of course, but smashing a bullet against steel produces more powdered lead than say, burrying that bullet in a dirt hillside. In indoor ranges, the powdered lead can present a problem even with good ventilation. Some ranges (such as Sig Academy) have switched to lead-free ammunition (which also negates fragments possibly harming the shooter wearing eye protection). Steel is nothing to worry about at a match. You will quickly become accustomed to it & be able to educate your non-steel shooting friends about the good times they are missing out on. Regards, D.C. Johnson

Can't be done with a .45 slide. Have to purchase & fit a .40 barrel & slide. A gunsmith will have to fit the conversion parts for you. In addition, .40 specific conversion parts include: -slide stop (if you want to do it correctly) -extractor -ejector -firing pin -magazine tube -magazine follower

I have to agree with sfiney on this; there is no wear on the gun's finish. The black coating over the Tenifer is simply wearing off which is fine since it serves no purpose anyway. For the finish wear/exposed tenifer that I can see on my glocks when looking at the sights (top corners of the slide) I use a sharpie marker to return them to non-glare. Regards, C.

I believe an outfit called Texas Knifemaker supply has some. Ibought Micarta from them & they shipped fast; prices seemed OK. A gunsmith friend used their Kydex for M-14 magholders for "He-Man" division. I would order the thicker Kydex if possible. Not hard to work with according to him. D.

Well I can understand where you are coming from BJ - having spent many valentines days away from former sweet hearts & being single on a day like today is a bummer. But if its any consolation, I unexpectedly ran into Bulak & family at a bowling pin shoot yesterday & they were doing great! Bulak showed those pins NO mercy & even her little brother got into the act with both Open and Limited division hardware. I think its great that Bulak's whole family was there for support. Only things missing yesterday were YOU (and the fact that I left all my pistolas in the Commonwealth). D.

"What I hate about the pistol is that they knocked off some $$$ by using fixed sights from hell (JMHO)." This is true; the TS has non-adjustable sights. 2 thoughts on these: 1) from the side only, I do not like how they look 2) Fixed sights have become super popular in the USA thanks to people like Phil Strader who has been using one on his limited gun (www.shootersparadise.com). Also, search this forum on the word "warren" to see pictures of Phil's new sight. He did not switch to save money but rather to avoid the sight breaking on his 1911. All CZs have even higher slide velocity & they can possibly break adjustable sights. The mag capacity is increased 1 round in .40 to 17+1 on the TS. CZ uses a polymer trigger on the Standard IPSC. I have 2 guns & both triggers are fine. I often see Americans complaining about the trigger & claiming to have broken them (also used on 75B-SA) but I think you have to try pretty hard to break one or else not have any experience w/ a true .75 kilogram trigger. Still, a steel replacement is available through Angus at ghostholster.com. Regards, D.C. Johnson

Max is about 1.170 for a Zero 180 grn JHP to fit & feed from the mag. I use about 1.160 w/ either N320 or N330 under Zero 180 JHP or discontinued Star 180 FMJ TC. UPDATE: Just to confirm that MAX OAL is 1.170 or less, I tried some of my long-loaded .40 for the SV/STI .40. THis ammo is loaded to an OAL of 1.200" with a Zero 180 JHP Result: 1) With barrel out of the gun, it fit in the barrel without evidence of touching the rifling. Apparently the chamber is throated long. 2) More than one round of LONG .40 would not fit in magazine 3) A single round of long .40 will feed from the mag & into the chamber w/o evidence of touching the rifling. The ejection port is not large enough to allow the loaded LONG .40 to eject. Regards, D.C. Johnson www.shootersparadise.com

Greetings Powerman! I notice you will be shooting in and around Bulgaria so the competitions you shoot will be governed by IPSC rules, and NOT the USPSA rules that we follow in the USA. The good news for you is that the Standard IPSC is optimized for IPSC rules, not USPSA. For example, the magazine well and 16 round magazines (soon to be 17 rounds) WILL fit in the IPSC box. The trigger on my 2 guns came from the factory at a very light 1.5 lbs (about .75 kilograms) and the trigger compare VERY well to an SV (or the European copy called the SPS) with SV Tri-Glide parts (also .75 kilograms w/ extremely short re-set & fully adjustable). For a great website on the Standard IPSC, look at www.strictlyipsc.com Regards, D.C. Johnson

This is truly sad news. It means that there are thieves among the good people who show up to our competitions. Thank you for the heads up & I hope that 1911 shows up soon & is returned to you.

I checked out the Guild members list & there are some great USPSA/IPSC smiths there. HOWEVER, Guild membership is not the last word in quality smithwork because the guild failed to list some some equally talented gunsmiths. For example, George Smith at EGW (responsible in part for Doug Koenig's guns) Bob Londrigan (sp? - a contributor to Frontsite) and Dave Dawson (who helped develop the S_I) are not listed. I do not believe Hawaii's Ed Masaki of bullseye fame appeared either. I would certainly not discount a gunsmith with a good reputation simply because they did not pay to be memebers of the Guild. It is apparently just one place to start the search for the right smith. Regards, D.C. Johnson

Thanks for the update and again, great work. C. BTW, .45ACP?

Great work! What is the finish? It looks like either matte blueing applied over a bead blasted surface or possibly black parkerizing? How did the range session go? Regards, C.

BTW, I never knew that "Stinky" was short for "Mr. Bubbles."

I convinced a retired gunsmith friend to haul out his old hand built caspian single stack .45ACP "open gun" (looked a little like Brian's gun on the cover of the book). He swore by the National 152 grn "copperized" SWCs over the FASTEST powder he could find to try to get some comp action out of the huge single port comp for USPSA. He rarely shoots these days. Cool gun. To me, it kicked like a mule compared to today's open guns even with 152s. We also tried out a few of his pin loads with the heavy bullets. Those REALLY kick. However, it was faster than a non-comped 1911 with the same loads. Accurate as heck & fun to shoot. By the way, welcome to the sport! Your new custom 1911 is perfect to start out with. Try some 185s & see how they work with straight Clays powder (my old Limited .45 STI Edge load). I believe I was near or at the limit to reach major with this powder. If you can find it, V V N310 makes and excellent .45 powder. Localy, you might go by the dirtier W231 or very similar HP-38.

"Seeing Mr. Bubbles makes me want to get a dog. Don't have a suitable yard right now, wouldn't want the dog to go destructo in my house." Second that. Mr. Bubbles is a fine looking puppy. If the presa breed is anything like the masifs I have met, he will have a fine personality. As for the cutting thing, I might not choose to do it, but if done without cruelty I think its really up to the dog's owner since its his/her property & I believe the government should keep their nose out of a citizen's private affairs. Besides, for the presa breed, it appears to be an old Spanish custom. Regards, C.

CHP - good reminder. Thanks for keeping us all on track & in line w/ BE's vision. Regards, C.

"CZ75-Feels perfect ,sits low in the hand but, DA and SA really sucks" The regular 75B is just one $8 Wolff hammer spring (a 16 or 17 lb) away from an amazing DA trigger the just gets better after a few hundred dry fires. The SA function is so similar to a 1911 that any good 1911 smith of your choice should be able to get you the trigger you want. Gun costs less than the XD too. Get an 85 Combat & it arrives stock without the Series 80 safety for a better still trigger. Or you could wait for CZ-USA's new Production gun, the SP-01 - which is essentially a 9mm STI Edge w/ double action for Production.